The present invention is in the field of diffused strain gauge pressure transducers.
More particularly, the present invention relates to miniaturized pressure transducers capable of being implanted within the human or animal body for direct measurement of physiological pressures, such as respiratory, venous, arterial, amniotic, and cerebrospinal fluid pressures. Prior art transducers capable of monitoring physiological pressures in human beings and animals were normally not implanted in the body due to their undesirably large size, fragility, and complexity. These transducers were usually connected to the pressure source monitored by a fluid-filled catheter inserted into the body. This method of monitoring pressure often resulted in unreliable and inaccurate data, due to dynamic response problems associated with the fluid-filled catheter.
Attempts to implant miniaturized pressure transducers within the body for direct measurement of internal fluid pressure often resulted in malfunctions due to leakage of body fluid into the critical components of the transducer.